The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-08
The PURE Wine BILL.
A DEPARTURE IN CALIFORNIA
LEGISLATION.
VIII the Principle OF State Guaran.
tee be Made Applice BILE to
D her Thipg..
ESPECIAL TO THK LPPRLL.l


SAN FRANCISCO, GAL, July THE
California Pure Wine act has been
much misused, but the Characteristic
feature of Il has almost escaped atten.
ton. 1t lie a radical departure In
American legislation. By II the State
undertakes to guarantee the purity OF
the wine product Of its viticulturists.
In one sense the laws in other States
AGAR at adulteration and the National
q Jvernment's oleomargarine law do
this. But there is one essential point
Of difference between this pure wine
act and all those o,her laws. All the
rest are either revenue laws-that is,
are made to raise an income--or they
are avs for the protection Of the pub
lie health-that lie, police laws. The
Pure Wine law, on the contrary, is not
q revenue law, for the State does not
make a cent's profit from its enforce.
ment; nor is il primarily designed to
drotect the public health, for its main
(indeed Its sole) purpose is TO make
aud keep good the credit OF a Csliior.
mia industry. II would be a aimilar
enactment II Massachusetts we're to
require all her shoe manufacturers 10
make shoes only Of good leather. By
such comparisons a. this II can be seen
nj olcs how radical n departure the
law is IL has introduced a decidedly
soclAiisiic tendency into American
lawmaking; and the idea is capable OF
indefinite application. Under the law
which has now gone into effect no
materials are TO be used for substitutes
for grapes; no coloring matters which
are not the pure products Of grapes
no foreign fruit juices nor imported
spirits; no aniline dyes, nor salicylic
acid, gycerine, alum, etc. During
fermentation, filming, clarifying, blend
ing or maturing, pure tannin may be
used in small quantities, leaven TO OK.
cite fermentation, sulphur fumes 10
disinisct copperage or prevent disease
In wine, pure gelatinous and albumen.
GUS substances TO assist In hDing and
clarihca,ion, are the only ingredients
OF any kind that are permitted 10 be
used. IL will thus be seen that
the Californian winemakers in
tend, a. far "a they are able,
that nothing but pure wines shall be
made In OF exported from the State.
EvaKx h0ttla - na,kana .A...I L.
sale must bear pure wine stamp. 10
less than week alter the bill became
q law more than 10000 stamps had
been applied for. The penalty for
breaking the law Ia fine Of not less
than $50 nor more than 1900, or i'm
prisonment In the county Jail for not
more than ninety days, or both hne
and imprisonment The law 10, OF
course, imperative outside the State,
and In the East Caiiornia wines can
be sold without the pure wine stamp
on the bottles, or II can be put up a
French wine with foreign labels. But
a. II becomes generally known that
the pure wire Of California bears a
legal stamp II Ia hoped that even out
side the State consumers will look for
the stamp on the bottles.
The vine merchants have demanded
from the wine makers an analysis OF
all wines offered them for sale. Not
one retailer In q thousand will demand
an analysis from the merchants whs
have simply endeayored 10 create
trouble because they did not wa nt any
such lav 10 be passed. But M Il has
become law they intend 10 try and
make u imperative. In times OF diff.
hcult fermentation II Ia imperative
that certain substances be used rs is
done In Europe, TO ave the wine. All
such substances must be analyz d aud
found pure, otherwise they are pro-
hibi,ed, The State analyst will be
very fully occupied inlsnaly Eiug such
substances ~ well ~ Thousands OF
samples OF vine, and AZ he can only
20 through about three samples a day,
the prospects are for deadlock Ia the
wine business. The intention OF the
trainers Of Il Was good, but the con.
s,ruction ~ already seen 10 be faulty.
Bot in wine making, too, California ia
also progressing, both In quality aud
quantity. The vintage OF 1885 was
no; very favorable one. Toe crop
was reduced 10 10000 gallons. Ia
1856, however, there VAS decided
improvement in both rssptce. TIE
quality was the best ever made In Gal
iloria aud clas,rd N "flne" wine by
experienced connoisseurs. The quan.
tity WIS also the largest, the vintage
amounting to lS,0O0,O00 galions.
Three years ago the annual exports OF
California wines did not exceed 5000.
OO0 gallons. This year the exports
have amounted 10 3,0iS,O7I gallons In
1--WE months. This sho, q that the do
mand for these wines has more than
doubled within three years, M the
bulk Of the wine ex ported from Cali.
iornia Ia for EasieTn markets, only a
few thousand gallons being cent
monthly 10 Mexico, Central Ameiica,
the Hawaiian Islands, China and
japan. OF this years wine exports
7,3l4,720 gallons were phipped East by
rail and 743, 3i5 gallons by sea, most q
the latter being sen, by Panama steam
ere, though 2 1900 gallons have beer
shipped 10 New York, round tn,
Horn, within the past elk weeks. A
one time the bulk OF the wine wei
shpped by Panama, buta reduction Il
Overland ireighls has caused the move
ment In that direction. The disturb
Auce In rates cauted by the Interstate
commerce act has Just b en- adjusted
The ra'sin industry also Ia making
very rapid growth. In addition TO tn
increase IN the quantity Of tabl
grApes, q very latgs proportion G
which are now shipped to EAs'er
mAfkoif end can he purrhaGed ~ tea,
enable y ices. TIE cheaper they NJ
BoId the lager viii be q coneum,
ton, and here Lac been a greA, la
proyement in this respect within N
piul lev years, the railroads Gilordin
special facilities Tor the transpoftatio
OF fresh fruit NJ lower phoea. Abol
Ave years Ggo the California rails
pack hardly amounted 10 nnythir
and certainly cut hut little figure
supplying Eastern requirements. 4.
surprising, thereiote, that the pack
1885 mounted TO 10000 boxes OF
pounds each, 0r 100000 pounds.
this quantity, no le8s thSa 1850 2
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